Metallionettes
by Ozy the Talking Haystack
Summary: When Predacons start mysteriously disappearing, it's up to Dinobot and Rhinox to figure out who, what, and most importantly, why. Entry for 2008's BWINT "Write a Mystery" contest.
1. A Shadow Began it

Author's Note: I originally wrote this for BWINT's "Write A Mystery" Contest. Inspired by a certain episode of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" I decided to have a go at it. I didn't win but I had a lot of fun writing this. Since I now have an account on here I've decided to crack it out again and post it. It'll give me the opportunity to rewrite a few parts as well.

DISCLAIMER: TRASFORMERS BEAST WARS BELONGS TO HASBRO. I CLAIM NOTHING.

**Metallionettes**

by Ozy the Talking Haystack

The wind rustled through the leaves, the only sound in the stillness of the night. Inferno marched over the leaves in his seemingly never-ending patrol of Sector Gamma. It was a chilly night, and he shivered as the breeze scattered the leaves around his feet. It was cloudy, without a sign of the two moons or the stars, and despite himself Inferno began to feel uneasy. He tightened his grip on his flamethrower and looked around warily. A line of white fire appeared across the sky, and his optics widened. He reached down and switched on his comlink.

"Inferno to Royalty, come in Royalty!"

"What is it, Inferno?" The gruff voice of his leader crackled loudly through the speakers.

"Have the main computers been repaired yet?"

"No, Scorponok and Tarantulas are still working on them. The buffoons probably won't have the system up until tomorrow. Why do you ask?"

"I just spotted an incoming stasis pod!"

"Where?" Megatron's voice showed his interest.

"Grid Phoenix, Sector Gamma, Sub-sector Vegas."

"Move to that location and stay there. Guard the pod. I will send someone to assist you shortly."

"As you command, my Queen!" Inferno intoned dramatically.

"Oh for Pit's sake, will you stop calling me that?" Megatron growled over the comlink. Inferno did not hear him, as he was already in the process of transforming to beast mode and

crawling to the pod.

In the darkness behind him, a pair of optics glowed menacingly. They disappeared as soon as they came online, and a shaded figure followed the hapless ant.

*******

Half a megacycle later, Inferno reached the crash site. The pod was smoldering at the end of a path of broken trees, flattened bushes and trenched earth. It was coated in dust and mud, and was smoking slightly. Inferno crept forward, touching the pod with his antennae, and then drew back sharply. The pod was still hot to the touch.

"Inferno, terrorize." The ant's skin split apart and shifted into different locations as he transformed into a tall, dark red menacing robot, with metallic blue optics, a massive mouth filled with sharp, needle-like teeth and a large flamethrower slung across his back.

He walked up to the pod and stared at the statistics board. It was blank. Something about that wasn't right, as the pod probably would have been scanning for a proper beast mode by now. The pod was still sealed tightly, so the protoform couldn't have left the pod. But why would the Maximals pack an empty stasis pod?

_Wait, maybe they kept a few empty pods as a precaution, so that they themselves could be converted back into protoforms. The Maximals that were on the 'Axalon' when they crash-landed on this planet were only a few members of a much larger crew, most of which had been converted to protoform status. _Inferno was not quite sure how he knew this, he just did, and remembering random things and facts like that made him rather uncomfortable. He just shrugged it off and brought his fist down on the pod with a sharp _crack_ to make sure that it was empty.

There was a sudden rustling in the leaves, and, unlike before, there was no wind blowing. Inferno whirled around, reaching back and whipping out his flamethrower in one smooth motion. He cocked it, looking wildly about. Nothing was there.

He snorted and relaxed, mentally berating himself for jumping at shadows. All the same, he kept his flamethrower by his side. He reached down to switch on his comlink, intending to report to Megatron that it was a blank pod, but froze as the tips of his fingers brushed the switch.

He turned and walked into the woods, seemingly at ease. But in his vocal gears was a scream that could not escape.


	2. Rendezvous

Author's Notes: Quick note about the timeline here, I have this story set in Season One, shortly after "Spider's Game". It explains why Airrazor is so nervous when she learns about Inferno later in the chapter.

This chapter is dedicated to my good friend Waffle for helping my addled brain understand how to post new chapters. THANKS!

DISCLAIMER: TRANSFORMERS BEAST WARS BELONGS TO HASBRO, NOT TO ME. I OWN NOTHING.

Chapter 3

"Big bot! Incoming stasis pod at four o' clock! Grid Phoenix, Sector Gamma, Sub-sector Vegas!" Cheetor exclaimed, excitement in his optics.

"Hmm, that's near Predacon territory. Call in all of the units closest to Grid Phoenix." Optimus ordered.

"That would be Tigerton, Rattrap, Airrazor and Dinobot." Rhinox intoned from his spot on the monitor.

"Well that's fortunate. However, considering how close it is to active Predacon territory they may need some backup. Cheetor, head straight for the assigned coordinates."

"Alright! I mean, yes sir!" Cheetor yelled before running out of the Axalon. Optimus bit back a smile at his youthful enthusiasm.

"So, with everyone else out it looks like it's just you and me." Rhinox stated. Optimus grunted and turned back to whatever it was that he was working on. For several nanocycles there was nothing but silence in the control room. Then Optimus glanced slyly over at Rhinox.

"Go Fish?"

Rhinox turned around and grinned.

"Heck yes! Let's go!"

*********

They all converged at the same moment.

"Be on your guard. I think that one predacon has already been here, judging by the scent." Dinobot growled. He was the only one in beast mode.

"What do you mean, 'has been here'? Isn't there one here now?" Rattrap said sarcastically. Dinobot ignored him, and instead concentrated his audio sensors on the soft discussion between Airrazor, the only femme on the Maximal side, and Cheetor, the youngest member of the crew.

"So why are you here Cheetor? Shouldn't you be back at the base?" She asked.

"Optimus sent me out here to assist you guys."

"Assistance is not needed." Dinobot snarled.

"But thanks for coming out anyway." Tigertron said, sending a pointed glare at Dinobot. "As you were saying about Predacon scent." Dinobot lowered his head and sniffed the ground carefully, once, twice.

"Judging from how close we are to Sub-Sector Vegas, I'd say that it was Inferno and that he was here..." he paused, sniffing again, "only a quarter of a megacycle ago. I only hope he hasn't beaten us to the pod." They traveled on in silence, a very solemn air about them as they walked. The moonlight shone down upon their backs, hands and faces as they continued on, their feet brushing through fallen leaves. The foliage above them was still colored with living fire, but during the night it looked dead. They walked in this environment for several nanos before coming into a clearing in the forest, and at the other end of the clearing was the pod, hanging open. Every Maximal in the clearing forced down a cry of dismay. Dinobot leaned down and gave a few short sniffs.

"Inferno was here, and he has handled the pod. We were too late." His voice was grave.

"Great. Just great. We came too late to save it. Even getting here while Inferno was doing that stinkin' grapeface's dirty work would have been better than this. At the very least we would have been able to slag the pest." Rattrap huffed. Though nobody else said anything, in their minds were versions of the same thought.

"Why don't we wait here for a couple of megacycles?" Tigertron suddenly spoke up. "Just in case the protoform activated before Inferno got here." This immediately caused an argument, with some saying that Tigertron's circuits were fried, while others agreed with him. Dinobot was the only one who stayed silent. He had his head close to the ground, putting his beast mode instincts to work. He had picked up Inferno's scent, but instead of leading back to the Predacon base, it was leading away, and there was no new scent mixing with it. If Inferno had activated the pod, then the very first place he would have headed to would be the Predacon base, the Darkside.

"I really hate to say it, but I have to agree with Tigertron." He said.

"Gee, thanks." Tigertron muttered sarcastically. Dinobot pointedly ignored him.

"Inferno's scent leads away from here, but his is the only one. I suspect that the protoform had already activated and left, and that Inferno left to go look for it. We might as well stay near the pod, where the protoform is most likely to return."

"Why don't we split up and look for the new recruit ourselves?" Cheetor asked.

"Because if we split up we may have a better chance of finding the protoform, I agree, but our chances of meeting Inferno one-on-one will also increase significantly." Dinobot replied.

"What, are you afraid of him?" Rattrap taunted. Dinobot snarled and would have lunged at him if it wasn't for Airrazor stepping between them.

"Shut up Rattrap. Dinobot is right, the risks are too great. We simply do not have enough information about Inferno's strengths and weaknesses to be able to face him by ourselves. And before you say anything stupid, I know for a fact that I couldn't." She repressed a shudder.

"Fine then, we'll stay here for a couple of megacycles." Tigertron said, effectively ending the argument. The wind picked up again, tearing a few golden leaves from the branches overhead. Rattrap shivered. With the exception of Dinobot, their beast modes were all warm-blooded, so they could all feel the bitter cold.

"Could we start a fire?" Cheetor asked.

"I don't see why not. It should attract the protoform, and if worst comes to worst and Inferno stumbles upon us then we can, oh shall I say, vent our frustrations." Tigertron chuckled darkly. The thoughts of revenge weren't normal for the white tiger, but it was understandable considering the last time Tigertron encountered the ant, the tiger was almost killed.

They quickly started to gather up fuel in the woods around the clearing, snapping off dead branches and getting rid of dead trees. Occasionally a few insects would scuttle away from under their feet, but other than that there was hardly anything else in the woods. The creatures that usually inhabited the forest had either gone into hibernation, migrated, or had come to the end of their lifespan. The only birds that seemed to be around were ravens, which occasionally let out sharp cawing sounds if the Maximals got too close for comfort. At one point a massive owl landed in one of the branches above Tigertron's head. Bird and beast quietly observed each other for a few nanoclicks before the owl let out a screech, spread its mottled brown wings, and flew away into the darkness.

They returned to the clearing soon after, all of them carrying huge bundles of firewood. Airrazor had cleared all of the dried leaves and grass from a spot in the clearing, close to the pod, and had placed a large ring of rocks around the bare spot. They piled their brush inside the ring, and Dinobot switched into robot mode and used a low level of eye-laser settings to set the thing alight. They all gathered together, holding out their hands and occasionally their feet to the flames, letting the radiant energy warm them. Nobody said a word for a few nanos, and the only sound was the crackling, popping and _whooshing_ of the fire. Then Cheetor spoke up.

"Wanna tell horror stories?"


	3. A Tale by Firelight

Chapter 3

"They heard the sound of footsteps coming towards them. And then they all knew…" Rattrap paused dramatically, and then continued. "The third moon of Jupiter was haunted!" He grinned insanely, looking around the circle. Most of his listeners wore bored expressions on their faces. Rather childishly, Dinobot let out a fake snore. Even more childishly, Rattrap stuck out his tongue at him.

"No offense, but I kind of liked the story of Kartolh, the Spark-Stealer better." Cheetor said. Dinobot smirked. He had told that tale earlier.

"Oh yeah? Could any of you tell a better story then the 'Creatures on the Third Moon'?" Rattrap challenged.

"I can." From the other side of the fire Tigertron scootched forward. The firelight reflected eerily off of his face and optics, and he stared at the flames as one who is hypnotized as he began his tale.

"I grew up in the coldest region in Cybertron, and this is a true story that I heard from my creator's spark-sibling."

"Is this one of those 'it happened to a friend of a friend of mine' kinds of stories? Those always bugged me." Airrazor interrupted.

"No." Tigertron said, not even appearing slightly annoyed at the interruption. "Fortunately I know that this story is a true one."

"Who'd it happen too?" Rattrap asked. Despite himself he was getting interested.

"It happened to my creator." Everyone's optics were trained on Tigertron. Back on Cybertron he was known as an expert storyteller, rivaling Kup and his stories of the Great War. As the shadows and the light danced around them, they knew that he was truly in his element.

"It happened during the Big Freeze, twenty-one of the coldest solar cycles in Cybertronian history, very unusual for Cybertron. No one was able to go outside for more than a few nanos, and those who did often came back with frost on their bodies and icicles hanging off of them. I was but newly created, so I do not remember that time, but to this very solar cycle they still talk about it.

"About six solar cycles after the Big Freeze, my mother realized that she hadn't seen her best friend, Henna, since the Freeze began. So she and her parents went to check on them.

"Well, nobody was home at their place, but there was a heater in the house that was going full-blast, plus, strangest of all, a roaring fire in the fireplace. It was hotter than the Pit in there. Seeing nobody, her parents went outside, but she stayed indoors.

"She started staring at the fireplace, into the flames, just as I am doing now. For a moment, she swore that she saw twisting, leering faces. Then, the room temperature dropped, though the heater was still going full blast. She felt an icy blast of wind on the back of her neck and whirled around. A scream clogged in her vocal processor, refusing to come out.

"It was Henna, standing behind her. Her whole body was covered with a thick layer of white frost, and icicles were suspended from her arms, fingers and head. She stared at my mother for a moment, and then she spoke." Here Tigertron paused. Everyone leaned in closer to hear what he said next.

"What did she say?" Cheetor breathlessly asked.

"She said simply 'I'm so cold, and I can't get warm.'" Tigertron spoke the femme's words in a high pitched, piping voice. Out of the corner of his optic he noticed Dinobot, who flinched slightly at the last line. Even _he_ was being affected by the story.

"My mother ran out of the house, the scream finally escaping from her vocal processor. Her parents grabbed her as she babbled on about seeing the frozen Henna, terrified almost out of her wits. Once they got the gist of what was happening, her parents ran back inside, and, rather reluctantly, she followed. Once she stepped inside she got a massive shock, for nobody but her parents were there, and it was icy cold. The heater was off, almost in a complete state of disrepair, and the fire in the fireplace had disappeared. There wasn't even any ash in the grate."

"That's so creepy! Airrazor exclaimed. The other maximals silently agreed with her.

"Her parents knew that my mother wasn't crazy, for they had seen the fire and the heater earlier, so they believed her about Henna. Ever since then, nobody has ever dared to enter that building. But every once in a while, when the temperature dips, Transformers can still see smoke rising from the chimney of that house. It is said that the smoke comes from the fires of Henna, forever trying to get warm."

A deadly silence spread out around them as Tigertron finished his tale. An icy breeze picked up around them, and everyone instinctively inched closer to the fire. Cheetor shivered.

Suddenly, Airrazor went stiff, then cocked her head to one side, as if listening or something. Her optics widened, and she hissed, "I hear something! Voices!"

Instantly everyone was on the alert, looking around warily, listening carefully. They heard nothing.

Airrazor straightened violently, letting out a short, sharp cry. "The voices!" She sank down, trying her best not to let out a childish whimper.

"You sure you haven't gone out of your processor? There aren't any 'voices' that I can hear." Rattrap said, giving Airrazor an incredulous look.

"What do you mean 'you can't hear them'? They were screaming!" Airrazor exclaimed, sounding furious.

"What?!?" Cheetor exclaimed.

"'Were'?" Dinobot asked.

"Where from?" Tigertron queried. Unlike the others he had a firm grasp on earth biology and knew that falcons had an excellent sense of hearing as well as sight.

"It was coming from over there. It's gone now." Airrazor said, pointing vaguely in one direction. Dinobot let out a snort, and then grunted "Maximize." His parts shifted into robot mode, and he stood up and looked to where Airrazor had pointed with a growing sense of unease. She had pointed towards a large mountain, off in the distance, but that wasn't what made him uneasy. What made him uneasy was that Inferno's scent wandered off in that very direction.

"Maybe we're just getting creeped out by all of the horror stories…" Cheetor started to suggest, before everyone glared at him.

"Yeah right, like we're afraid that Kartolh the Spark-Stealer and Unicron are going to come out of the trees and murder us all." Rattrap taunted.

"I was just saying--" Cheetor started to argue.

"Guys!" Tigertron yelled out sharply. Everyone jumped in surprise. A yell from Dinobot or Rattrap was unsurprising, since you came to expect it from them. But a shout from the soft-spoken Tigertron was somehow worse. It was like getting bitten by a puppy.

"If the protoform is not here within half a megacycle we go to investigate the scream. Any objections?"

"We are wasting time here." Dinobot snarled. "For all we know, the scream could have been coming from the protoform. We've waited long enough. It won't be coming back to the pod, now let's go!"

"Wait!" Cheetor cried. "What if that wasn't the protoform?"

"Then it was probably a Predacon. Much better outcome, in my opinion." Rattrap quipped.

"One of us should stay behind on the off-chance that the protoform does end up wandering back here. Any volunteers?"

Not a single word was spoken. Nobody wanted to be accused of being a coward.

"Very well then." Tigertron said, grabbing a nearby dead tree. He grasped a branch and began snapping off twigs of various lengths.

"What are you doing?" Cheetor asked.

"I believe the humans called it 'drawing straws', although in this case we'll be drawing sticks." He clenched the little wooden bundle in his hand and shifted it around, then held them up. "Each of you takes one. The one who takes the shortest gets to guard the pod."

"Leaving it up to chance." Dinobot said thoughtfully.

Each one drew a straw and exhaled in quiet jubilation at their sticks, save for one.

"Aww, man! Cheap slag-sucking--" Rattrap ranted as he saw he had the short end.

"See you later, sucker!" Cheetor called back playfully as he and the others swiftly took off out of the clearing and into the woods, following Airrazor.

"Slag." Rattrap sighed, then walked over to the pod. He sat

down beside it with a dejected plop. _This is gonna be a long night…_


End file.
